Frankenstein Comparing with Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hyde Essay Example
Cindy Jecker
Professor Kim
ENG 200
12 April 13
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde/ Frankenstein
From the comparison between the novel by Stevenson and the novel by Mary Shelley we noticed some important analogies. One of these regards the theme of the limits of Nature. Walton’s only aim in life is to travel towards the unknown; Frankenstein has the ambition of distinguishing himself in science and so he creates a living being by joining parts selected from corpses without respecting the rules of Nature. Dr Jekyll creates a potion able to release his evil side, Mr Hyde. But at the end everyone is punished: Walton’s expedition fails; Frankenstein remains lonely, the monster kills his friend and his wife and at the end also Victor dies; Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde are in perpetual struggle, but once Hyde is released from hiding, he achieves domination over the Jekyll aspects so the individual has only two choices, on the one hand the man may choose a life of crime and depravity, on the other hand the Jekyll aspect must eliminate Hyde in the only way left, by killing him.
Another important theme is the double. In Frankenstein, the three main characters are linked by that idea: in fact both Walton and Frankenstein have the same ambitions, the wish to go beyond the limits of Nature travelling towards the unknown, the wish for loneliness and pride of being different; the monster is Frankenstein’s negative side, they are complementary. They are both good but then they become obsessed with hate and revenge. One example of the double is the haunting presence of the monster: although at the beginning Frankenstein flees from his creature and their direct confrontations are few, the monster is always present in Victor’s life. But Frankenstein’s rejection of his creature is crucial and this makes the monster an outcast, a murderer and a rebel against society. In the other novel, the theme of the double is more evident: it is the portrayal of “good” and “evil” and its main characters are
Professor Kim
ENG 200
12 April 13
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde/ Frankenstein
From the comparison between the novel by Stevenson and the novel by Mary Shelley we noticed some important analogies. One of these regards the theme of the limits of Nature. Walton’s only aim in life is to travel towards the unknown; Frankenstein has the ambition of distinguishing himself in science and so he creates a living being by joining parts selected from corpses without respecting the rules of Nature. Dr Jekyll creates a potion able to release his evil side, Mr Hyde. But at the end everyone is punished: Walton’s expedition fails; Frankenstein remains lonely, the monster kills his friend and his wife and at the end also Victor dies; Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde are in perpetual struggle, but once Hyde is released from hiding, he achieves domination over the Jekyll aspects so the individual has only two choices, on the one hand the man may choose a life of crime and depravity, on the other hand the Jekyll aspect must eliminate Hyde in the only way left, by killing him.
Another important theme is the double. In Frankenstein, the three main characters are linked by that idea: in fact both Walton and Frankenstein have the same ambitions, the wish to go beyond the limits of Nature travelling towards the unknown, the wish for loneliness and pride of being different; the monster is Frankenstein’s negative side, they are complementary. They are both good but then they become obsessed with hate and revenge. One example of the double is the haunting presence of the monster: although at the beginning Frankenstein flees from his creature and their direct confrontations are few, the monster is always present in Victor’s life. But Frankenstein’s rejection of his creature is crucial and this makes the monster an outcast, a murderer and a rebel against society. In the other novel, the theme of the double is more evident: it is the portrayal of “good” and “evil” and its main characters are